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Ethiopians prevail again in men's elite Bolder Boulder

Assefa victorious in first Bolder

By Kyle Ringo Camera Sports Writer

Posted:
05/30/2011 11:20:55 PM MDT

Updated:
05/31/2011 08:56:34 AM MDT

Winner of the Men's Elite Race, Belete Assefa, left, and Solomon Deksisa, both of Ethiopia run side by side to win first and second place the 2011 Bolder Boulder Elite Men's Race. Assefa took the race with a time of 29:33:56
(
PAUL AIKEN
)

For the third consecutive year, an Ethiopian man won the race Monday beneath a partly cloudy sky in Folsom Field and for the fifth consecutive year the Ethiopians won the International Team Challenge taking home a combined total of $21,900 in individual and team prize money.

Belete Assefa pulled away from teammate Solomon Gonfa in the final quarter-mile and waved his arms at fans in the stands who greeted his arrival to the stadium with a roar.

The Ethiopian men have a stranglehold on the Bolder Boulder men's pro race.

Assefa, a first-time competitor in the race, finished in 29 minutes, 22.56 seconds. Gonfa was 5 seconds behind (29:27.64) and Allan Kiprono of Kenya was third in 29:35.13.

Boulder resident James Carney was the top American finisher in fifth-place with a time of 30:16.15. Carney led Team USA to a third-place finish. His teammates, Ryan Hall and Aaron Braun, finished seventh and 12th respectively.

Ethiopia won the men's international team challenge with three of the top nine finishers, but it was a close call against Kenya. Eight countries were represented in the nine-team field this year with the U.S. providing both Team USA and Team Colorado.

The third member of the Ethiopian team, Hussen Adelo, sprinted by several competitors in the final 200 meters of the race, including Constantino Leon Lopez of Peru. Adelo beat Lopez by .8 seconds to finish in ninthplace, and doing so gave Ethiopia the team title by one point over Kenya.

It was the closest finish in the 12-year history of the International Team Challenge on the men's side. The previous closest was in 2004 when Team USA beat Kenya by two points.

Team Colorado finished fourth with Jason Hartmann producing an eighth-place run in 30:39.83. Fernando Cabada was 13th and Brian Medigovich finished 15th.

Medigovich made a considerable move up the competitive ladder in one year. He won the men's citizens race in 2010 with the second-fastest winning time.

A familiar scene unfolded almost from the beginning of the pro race this year. Ethiopians and Kenyans charged to the lead and eventually separated from much of the field. From there, it became another battle in an old rivalry.

"It's always a fight," Adelo said.

Eventually Assefa and Gonfa emerged from the lead pack and surged ahead on their own. Assefa trained in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa before the race and didn't arrive in Boulder until Thursday. He said he came confident he would win.

"I worked hard for it and I knew I was going to win the race, and I did it," Assefa said through an interpreter.

Bolder Boulder race director Cliff Bosley was asked whether he believes it's good for the race to have one team winning so often. Bosley said he believes the Ethiopians are setting a standard the other countries and individuals must rise to meet.

"I think it's good for the Americans cause hopefully it keeps them hungry," he said. "Americans racing team Ethiopia is a good thing and beating them would be big. I think it's possible."

Race analyst Tim Cronin said the Bolder Boulder means more to the Ethiopian team right now than it does to other countries that regularly enter the race.

"They view team competition as really important," Cronin said. "They do so well at world cross country every year and this is kind of a reflection of that. I think it's more important for the Ethiopians to win than it is for the Kenyans to beat them.

"I think it's just got such importance. Until someone views it with that same level of intensity, it's going to be hard to happen."

Cronin said Team USA must continue to field a strong threesome and the key to winning the team challenge will be eventually having one finish among the top three along with his two teammates finishing among the top 10 or 12.

The last American to win the pro race was Herb Lindsay in 1984. The only time Team USA won the team challenge on the men's side was 1984.

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